Chapter 47
"The floating river on Akeron is home to a unique type of floating fish with delicious flesh. However, these fish die within minutes of leaving the floating river, so their presence has never been transmitted out of interstellar space. This season is the time when the floating fish migrate back."
Albert leaned down and whispered in the male insect's ear, "I've had the insect set up a simple food preparation station by the river and prepared bait that the mandarin fish like. Would Your Highness like to experience the fun of fishing?"
The female insect sprayed a faint pheromone onto Hill's ear, while the male insect's earlobes, which were white, quickly took on a subtle color due to the temperature.
The female insect opened the door ahead of time, and Celt's sharp eyes precisely calculated the distance between the two insects.
The answer is, intimately close, a bittersweet emotion gnawing at his heart, Celtic stepped aside, his fists clenched.
He has no right to interfere.
Hill noticed the gaze, calmly took Albert's hand, and then raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "What if I can't catch it?"
Hill is beautiful. When he has no expression, he looks like a beautiful glass statue. But when he is slightly moved, the statue suddenly comes to life, and the corners of his eyes seem to have hooks that scratch at the tip of your heart.
Albert paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Your Highness to take a look at my clothes."
"Oh? Why?" The little male insect's eyes darted around, seemingly puzzled.
Albert blinked. "I'll jump down and tie a line to His Highness's hook. I can't let His Highness down no matter what."
This is Albert's brilliance; he pleases the male insect openly and honestly, so that the insect will not feel resentment towards his schemes.
Hill smiled brightly, which made Albert momentarily lose his composure. He unconsciously tightened his grip on Hill's hand slightly. The male insect's hand was icy cold, like a piece of cool jade.
Hill seemed to sense his overstepping his bounds, slowly withdrawing his hand and softly reminding him as he tried to follow, "Sir, we've reached the riverbank."
Albert felt a little disappointed that there was no reason to continue holding the male insect's hand, but this disappointment was quickly dispelled by the surging river; Hilgard would soon be his master.
The estate is situated right on the riverbank, offering the best views. Meadows are meticulously planted along the riverbank, with waves lapping against the grass.
Hill seemed more interested in enjoying the breeze on the riverbank than fishing. He leaned casually against the chair, one hand supporting his chin, the other holding the fishing rod. The river breeze blew, lifting his slightly wide sleeves and revealing his long, pale arms.
Albert told her about his experiences in the Federation, his eyes shining slightly, as if he were very interested, which made the female insect unable to stop, captivated by his bright eyes.
Seemingly engrossed in listening, he found himself hooking a large fish on his fishing rod. Unable to break free of the line, the fish gave a fierce tug at the bottom of the water, causing the rod and the fish to fall into the water and disappear into the rolling waves.
“My fishing rod…” Hill exclaimed in surprise, seemingly with regret.
How could the female insect face the male insect's disappointed gaze? Albert immediately spread his bony wings and took to the air, making a standard bowing gesture, "Your Highness, please wait a moment, I will go and retrieve the fish and fishing rod for Your Highness."
Hill propped his head up, a hint of anticipation in his eyes, which made the female insect's blood boil even more: "Then thank you very much."
Soon the proud white butterfly flew onto the river and searched the river with the female's precise eyesight.
The sound of the female soldier's footsteps approached the warm clothes that came into view the next moment, accompanied by the female insect's steady voice: "It's windy on the shore."
Hill's smile slowly faded, replaced by a chill. He raised his eyes; Celt's military uniform was impeccable, and it was hard to imagine that he would suddenly care about such a thing.
Female insects rarely feel cold unless it is extremely cold enough to cause their armor to crack. Male insects are slightly weaker, but they are not so weak that they cannot stand the wind.
The reason Hill can't stand even a breeze is because of his poor health, which stems from a foolish decision he made six months ago.
Hill's expression grew colder as he turned to look at the surging river: "My queen will prepare for me."
The words "female ruler" seemed to sting the female insect, causing him to furrow his brow. But in an instant, he suddenly bent down and knelt on one knee, reaching out to take Hill's hand. Hill tried to struggle, but in Celtic's hands, such struggles had little effect.
The female insect forcefully opened Hill's palm with her burning hot hand, completely enveloping the cold hand in her own. There was a faint red mark on Hill's palm.
The scratch was from when he tried to grab the big fish as it broke free, but it was forcefully shaken off.
Celtic reached into his pocket and took out only a small bottle of repair fluid. Celtic didn't need to carry this in peacetime, so it was obvious who he was carrying this useless item for.
The cool repair fluid was gradually spread by the hot thumb, turning into a temperature suitable for the male insect. After being evenly applied to the entire palm, the pain disappeared, and even the coldness was warmed up by the female insect's body temperature.
Hill stopped struggling and let Celt do as he pleased, only a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Marshal Celt is certainly thoughtful, but shouldn't this kind of concern be directed at Sirius?"
"After all, that was the powerful ruler you schemed so hard for, wasn't it?"
The handsome male beetle bowed slightly, his long, cold hair occasionally brushing against Celt's knees as he knelt. The female beetle's breathing suddenly quickened, and her muscles tensed instantly.
Hill noticed his reaction, of course, and scoffed, "Sirius had his queen take care of his brother. Is this how the marshal takes care of his brother?"
Undeterred by his words, Celt methodically wiped the remaining repair fluid off Hill's hands with a clean cloth and placed them back on his lap.
His sharp, arrogant eyes met hers without flinching: "It was my own idea to come, Your Highness."
Even Sirius couldn't force him. Even though Sirius would be his future lord, he was confident he wouldn't be controlled by the male insect. In this marriage for the sake of life, there was a limit to the price he could pay.
At the rank of Major General, the Empire can decide which female insect to apply to become; at the rank of General, one can become the female ruler; and only at the rank of Marshal does one have the leverage to influence the situation. Celt fought his way to this position for many years in order to find a glimmer of hope for himself.
Hill hated his determined and ambitious eyes, and instinctively wanted to tighten his grip, but Celt stopped him: "Your Highness, your injury hasn't healed yet."
This sentence, however, carries a gentle tone, as if afraid of causing him any harm. Yet, he doesn't mention the most fatal injury at all, which is ridiculous.
As the silhouette of a female insect on the distant river drew closer, Hill's eyes darkened, and he suddenly smiled.
"So Marshal Celtic enjoys watching me and the Empress get close?"
"So you came voluntarily?"
He ignored Celt's suddenly gloomy eyes, stood up, and walked toward the riverbank. Celt tried to grab him from behind, but he only grasped at a wisp of wind in vain, gaining nothing.
The female insect had excellent eyesight; even from a great distance, Albert could see the surging waves on the shore. He waded over, a large, live fish still hanging from the fishing rod in his hand.
When he saw Hill stagger to the shore, he quickly threw down his fishing rod and rushed over: "Your Highness, why are you here? The current is strong near the shore—"
Hill was unsteady on his feet, and the shore seemed to be slipping. He stumbled and fell into Albert's arms, his gaze sweeping tenderly over Albert's side: "I was worried about you."
On the shore, Celtic clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on his arms, revealing his astonishing strength.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness, but I'm fine." Albert firmly supported Er's waist to prevent him from slipping further down the wet shore, but his gaze was fixed on Celt. Behind Hill, the two female insects stared coldly at each other, as if a battle was brewing from the friction.
“The fish will be handled by other females. Is Your Highness’s clothing wet? I’ll take Your Highness back to change.” Albert helped Hill away in a moment.
His gaze held the air of a victor: "The remaining mess will have to be dealt with by the Marshal."
Celtic remained unmoved, his expression as cold and stern as ever. He did not answer, but simply bowed in Hill's direction.
He stared intently as Albert led Hill away, only lowering his eyes after their figures had disappeared completely, and then connected to Dick's communication: "Check Hesen's recent movements."
The tide on the shore did indeed wet Hill's shoes and the hem of her robe. Albert helped Hill back to the manor, and after washing up and having a meal, it quickly got dark.
"It seems a bit too early to go to bed now. Would Your Highness like to join me for a walk around the manor?" Albert was still reluctant to leave, so he extended the invitation. "Perhaps there will be a pleasant surprise?"
"It seems you've been preparing surprises for me all along."
“That’s because I wanted to make Your Highness happy.” Albert walked to the door first, and just as Hill was about to step out, he suddenly knelt down. Hill did not back down, but looked down at him, waiting for his explanation.
“I think His Highness doesn’t seem to like wearing shoes,” Albert explained.
Hill looked genuinely surprised. Yes, he had lived in a completely sealed environment since childhood, with carpets on the floor and a constant temperature. He didn't like wearing shoes, and this was just his own secret as an insect.
Albert suddenly reached out and grabbed his calf. Hill was startled and clung to the door frame, swaying for a moment, but Albert’s strong arms supported him.
The female insect's hand grasped the shoes he had changed into after washing up, and slowly removed them, revealing the male insect's pale, long, and veined feet in the night. The female insect's hand was hot, not as hot as Celt's, but still warm.
Hill's fingertips and toes curled slightly, the suspension making him a little uneasy, but Albert quickly placed him on the ground.
The manor was covered with thick lawns, and for the first time in his life, he felt the soles of his feet were so soft. The grass was a little prickly at first, but cooler than the female insect's palm.
Soon only softness remained; Hill's eyelashes trembled as she closed her eyes to feel it.
Albert placed his other foot on the soft grass as well: "If you don't like it, you don't have to wear shoes."
The male insect is always pampered and loved. It's just a small thing that he doesn't like wearing shoes. Of course, the female insect can tolerate his little quirks. Why should she feel bad about it?
"Does Your Highness like it?"
The male insect pondered for a moment, then nodded reservedly. He was a little unsteady on his feet, so he kept his hands on the door frame.
Albert slowly rose and stood beside Hill, saying softly, "Would Your Highness like to open your eyes and see a surprise?"
surprise?
Hill opened his eyes, and a sky full of stars was right in front of him. The bright and numerous stars were scattered across the sky, which was a different kind of beauty from the view from the universe. A flowing river was dotted with stars.
"The star Acheron has very short hours of sunlight for three months of the year. In contrast, the stars are very bright during these three months. The magnificent sight of stars hanging in the Milky Way will last for three whole months, starting tonight."
Albert gazed at the night sky: "Akeron has no satellites and does not belong to the Empire or the Federation, so there is no moon that the Zerg have modified according to the ancient planetary era. However, the stars here are very close together and have a brilliance no less than that of the moon."
“Your Highness, what I mean is, why pray to the moon? There is a whole starry sky behind you.”
Behind you?
Warm arms wrapped around him from behind, without any actual contact, but to the other insects it felt like a real hug.
Behind Hill was Albert.
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